Preparing For Preschool

Cruz starts preschool a week from today.  The school year in Guatemala is January- October.  He is over the moon excited and asks us everyday if he can go to school yet (I hope he stays that excited about it after he gets there and has to sit down and participate, haha).  We have started him a countdown.  We began on Friday when he had ten days left.  We will be marking off the calendar each day.  We are also having him hold ten fingers up and taking one down with each passing day until he gets to no fingers.  He's excited.  Real excited!

We officially registered him at the end of December.  We had to pay a registration fee and a maintenance fee.  Both totaled about $26 dollars.  We think the monthly tuition will be around $25 dollars a month.  He will be attending a small private school.  It just opened last year.  They have classes for all ages beginning with 3 year olds.  They offer classes five days a week.   It is from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.  He will not turn three until May, but the director thinks he is ready so we are going to try him.  At some point he will get a uniform, but they have not discussed prices of those yet.  Overall we haven't invested much if he does not like it, can't handle it, or just simply does not want to return. 

Last year there were only three students in the three year old class (all boys).  They started out with five, but the two girls dropped out early on.  It is not very common around here for kids to start school at age 3.  Most begin at age 4 or 5.  We are expecting it to be another small class.  We just hope there are some others interested so there will be a class.

Our primary goal in sending him is for language learning.  We think it would really jump start his language ability to be immersed in Spanish for those few hours each day.   We'll see.

In case you are wondering, this is just a temporary time for him.  We do not have plans to send him to a local school once he reaches kindergarten age.  I will have to homeschool him.  At least that is our plan for now if we are still living where we are when he reaches that age. 

We recently returned to the school to pick up his school supply list.  I was a little surprised to see what all they had on there.  I would assume much of it is for the teachers.  I sure hope they don't let my child loose with a permanent marker, haha.
 
Here is his preschool supply list:
~  one 80 page notebook with lines
~  2 pencils
~  2 erasers
~  2 pencil sharpeners
~  1 box of crayons (that must be purchased from the school)
~  1 pair of scissors with a round tip
~  2 permanent markers - red and black
~  3 dry erase markers- black, red, and blue
~  3 different types/ rolls of tape
~  1 bottle of liquid soap
~  1 box of paint- 6 pack
~  1 box of modeling clay
~  6 rolls of toilet paper, 2 ply
~  1 coloring book (I will be sending two)
~  1 type of educational game of a certain brand that is popular here such as memory, puzzles, etc. ( I
     bought two- memory and a farm puzzle)
~  Q5 for medicine (about .60 cents) 

So for now that's it.  We just wait.   This should be an interesting adventure for all of us (and a learning experience too).  We'll be sure to keep you posted as we blog and share the adventure with you.